Greg Moore wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 11:02 am
There has been discussion over the years for higher speeds west of Albany and the one most likely to happen is essentially what you describe, simply a 3rd track dedicated to passengers. (CSX won't allow both tracks to be replaced as they're afraid that clearances between trains moving at high speeds on curves might mean trains could sideswipe each other).
The problem is... money.
(and honestly, I'd rather see a goal higher than 110 mph, and ideally all electrified from NYC.)
To go faster than 110 mph on any stretch of track, it must be grade separated from other means of transportation. Fullly grade separation of the 262 rail miles between Albany and Buffalo will cost somebody lots of cash. Assuming a minimum of $10 million per grade separation and a minimum of one crossing every miles, we're talking a minimum of $2.62 Billion. Doubling the costs of each double the price tag to $5.24 Billion, doubling the number of crossings the price tag doubles again to $10.48 Billion. I have no idea how many crossings there are or what the price tag will be for grade separations in New York are. Just throwing some huge numbers out there to consider.
Assuming the average speed increases the same 15 mph of the max allowed speed of 125 mph, over 262 rail miles you would save 262/125 = 2.278 hours ; 262 /115 = 2.096 hours; 2.278 - 2.096 = 0.182 hours, or less than one fifth of an hour, about 12 minutes.
Is spending Billions of dollars worth a time savings of 12 minutes?
I suggest not.
But you will gain some safety and lives saved by eliminating many of the grade crossings. Never the less, you will still lose lives from those trespassing on the RR corridor. You can never achieve a perfect safety record.
Then there is the possibility of spending even more and build an entirely new HSR corridor nearby to achieve even faster maximum speeds. Higher speeds means lower elapse times and larger time savings. Without details on where and what route should be built and where the stations will be located, I will not even guess how much it would cost. Would it even be built linking Albany to Buffalo, or more likely a more direct route of Buffalo to New York City?"